Food

A Lincolnwood wholesale and retail bakery has recalled all its food made since Nov. 1 after about 100 people who ate desserts from the business became ill in recent weeks, state health officials said. State and federal investigators are looking into outbreaks in which people became ill after eating desserts from Rolf's Patisserie at a company event, a catered party, a restaurant and a holiday party, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Rolf's is voluntarily recalling...

The death of a Chicago seventh-grader who suffered an allergic food reaction during a classroom party last year has led to a bill now awaiting the governor’s signature that would allow school nurses to administer life-saving epinephrine injections regardless of whether a student has been diagnosed with an allergy. Katelyn Carlson, 13, died of anaphylaxis on Dec. 17, 2010, after eating takeout food cooked in peanut oil at Edison Regional Gifted Center in Albany Park. The girl was not...

A South Side man was in critical condition from smoke inhalation this morning after he fell asleep with food cooking on the stove.Chicago firefighters responded at 12:43 a.m. to calls of a fire on the first floor of the Chicago Housing Authority's Judge Slater Apartments, 4218 S. Cottage Grove. According to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford, firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the kitchen but no fire. After determining the problem was burning food, it took them four...

An extra-alarm fire tore through a food and liquor store in the 1900 block of West 69th Street (map) tonight, causing parts of the front wall and roof to collapse, a fire spokesman said. No one was injured in the blaze, which was struck out just after 6:30 p.m., he said. It was unknown if the store was open at the time of the fire. As of about 7 p.m., some trucks were still on the scene.

Two fast-food workers are being hailed as heroes after stepping in to stop three people from beating up one of their customers in the restaurant's drive-thru. "Absolutely they're heroes," said Mark Ziolek, who was still sporting two black eyes from the weekend attack at a Mr. Submarine restaurant in the Beverly neighborhood on the Far Southwest Side. "If they had not acted as quickly as they did, I'd literally be dead for all I know. " Brothers Ernesto and Agustin...

A 22-year-old man died from his injuries after he was shot in the chest Monday night while he was standing inside a fast-food restaurant in the city's East Garfield Park neighborhood. The man was identified as Darrius Green, according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office. Preliminary reports said about 9 p.m., Green was inside of a restaurant located at 610 S. Central Park Ave, said Police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez. An unknown suspect opened fire in...

A homeless man was arrested after he was found eating food from an elementary school pantry in Woodstock, police said.A cafeteria worker found James Carolyn Banks, 59, inside Olson Elementary School, 720 W. Judd St., at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, said Woodstock Police Sgt. Richard Johns. "He was eating food from the pantry," Johns said. "He has no address and didn't say where he was staying. But there are a number of social service agencies in the county available to him that he could have...

Three teens were arrested Wednesday night after allegedly beating a Waukegan man in a Gurnee Mills bathroom. Quincy Minor, 17, Devord Page, 17 and a 15-year-old, all of Waukegan, followed the 19-year-old man after he bought food at the mall, said Gurnee Police Cmdr. Jay Patrick. -- Read more at TribLocal

A City of Chicago ordinance on Bisphenol A (commonly known as BPA) went into effect Sunday. The BPA-Free Kids Ordinance restricts businesses from selling "any container designed to be filled with food or liquid to be used for a child under the age of three that contains" BPA. More in the Problem Solver on chicagotribune.com

Cora Lewis struggles each day to make ends meet while living on Social Security. On Tuesday, things got a little easier for the 70-year-old retired respiratory therapist and about 250 other people facing financial challenges. First Christian Church of Maywood partnered with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to distribute for free about 2,000 pounds of fresh vegetables, fruits and breads. “I can hardly manage with my Social Security to get some fruit and vegetables,”...

A Gary man was charged with animal cruelty after police found two dogs in crates in an unheated rental shed, with no food or water and covered in their own feces, oficials said. Police found the dogs on Feb. 24 after the owner of the Crown Point, Ind. storage facility after renters said they heard a dog on the premises, Crown Point Asst. Police Chief Jim Janda said. The owner called police who were eventually was able...

Dominick’s has upset a contingent of consumers over selling packaged food with expired dates. The supermarket chain’s fan page on social networking site Facebook has been riddled with comments from posters who identify themselves as customers — angry that some stores had food with expired “best if used by,” “sell by” or “use by” dates. Jill Cataldo, a prominent Chicago-area coupon blogger, claimed...

Since 1945, when William and Luvilla Armstrong opened Army & Lou’s on East 75th Street, the home-style eatery has catered to luminaries and regular folk alike in a way that made it more than just a soul food restaurant. It became known around the city (and beyond) as a cultural and political institution. On Sunday, the current owners of Army & Lou’s closed their doors in an attempt to buy time to attract new investors as they...

The operator of an Evanston food store was arrested this week at a New York City airport on charges he dealt drugs from his store and defrauded the state LINK program, Evanston police said today. The charges against Isam Abdelquader Alamawi, 25, of Chicago, operator of Ramy's Foods in the north suburb, stem from a September multi-jurisdictional drug investigation called "Hard Swipe" that netted 29 arrests. During the investigation,...

City inspectors closed a South Side food mart today after finding more than 1,000 rodent droppings near the store's food-sales areas and in the basement. Paulina Food Mart, 1659 W. 69th St., was issued citations for inadequate pest control, for failing to keep food protected from contamination and for violating no-smoking regulations, among other violations, according to the city's Dumpster Task Force. The food mart must correct the problems, present improved pest control and housekeeping plans, and pass...

President-Elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, visit St. Columbanus Parish on the South Side to distribute food and visit with schoolchildren. (Tribune photo by Zbigniew Bzdak) Pool reports on Barack Obama's day: 12:17 p.m. Obama family arrives home after distributing food. 11:03 a.m. Obama family arrives at Saint Columbanus Catholic Church, a South South parish that operates a food bank every Wednesday . ...

With their babies packed in blankets and in strollers, hundreds of people waited for hours Friday to receive free food and toys at Hall Community Center on the South Side. Scott Sanford carries his granddaughter during a food and toy giveaway at the Paul Hall Community Center. (Tribune / Alex Garcia) They started arriving at 4:30 a.m. for the annual food giveaway, but volunteers needed time -- and more donations to collect -- before the doors formally...

A Lincolnwood wholesale and retail bakery has recalled all its food made since Nov. 1 after about 100 people who ate desserts from the business became ill in recent weeks, state health officials said. State and federal investigators are looking into outbreaks in which people became ill after eating desserts from Rolf's Patisserie at a company event, a catered party, a restaurant and a holiday party, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Rolf's is voluntarily recalling...